


Thieves Can Be Heroes!

by Reaper_Zebra



Category: Persona 5, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-05-26 13:53:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 20,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15002258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reaper_Zebra/pseuds/Reaper_Zebra
Summary: Izuku Midoriya thought he was down on his luck the day that he was convicted of a crime for trying to save someone. As if being Quirkless wasn't enough, how was he supposed to become a hero with a criminal record? As it turns out, fate had another plan for him.





	1. Chapter 1

" _Now arriving at Yongen-Jaya station."_

The overhead announcement quickly roused a young boy who was on the verge of falling asleep. Standing at five-foot-five, he was about as tall as one would expect a fifteen-year-old to be, if not a bit shorter. His hair was a large mess of dark green bordering on black with matching colored eyes. A cluster of freckles rested under each cheek. As far as muscles went, he looked fairly average in his everyday clothes, though one would realize that he was actually quite well-built if they caught shirtless or in a tank top. they'd realize that he was actually quite well built.

This is Izuku Midoriya, a first-year high school student who lived in Musutafu, home of U.A. High, the most prestigious Hero school in Japan. But now he was traveling through the bustling streets of Tokyo to live with a family friend. Around him was a sea of unfamiliar faces, all men and women just trying to get on with their lives without a fuss, same as him. But he doubted that they faced the same difficulties that Izuku did.

As the subway arrived at the station, Izuku couldn't stop a heavy sigh from escaping his lips, taking a moment to breathe before stepping through the exit. He pulled out his phone and checked his navigation app, making sure that he was heading the right way.

"It's not that far from here…" he muttered to himself. As Izuku moved to close the app, he jumped as another appeared at the center of the screen. It was a strangely persistent program, always returning no matter how many times he deleted it. The app's logo was an ominous red eye with a black star for a pupil against a jagged black starburst, as if it were suspended in the remnants of a broken mirror. Its creepy appearance only made him want to get rid of it more.

"What kind of virus did my phone catch? I should probably take it to a repair shop when I get the chance…" Izuku sighed, touching the app and placing it in the trash bin. He looked up at the signs littered across the walls of the tunnel, following one that directed him to the backstreets of Yongen-Jaya.

In comparison to Shibuya, this tram was far smaller and had less crowded than the trains he rode earlier. Truth be told, Izuku was grateful for the tamer scenery. After all, he was going to spend a year in a city known for its bumper-to-bumper traffic and massive crowds just to get to his new school. At least he could relax in a place away from the worst of the hustle and bustle.

As he climbed the staircase to reach the streets, Izuku found Yongen-Jaya to be exactly what he expected: a quiet sub-section of the city with little foot traffic compared to the rest of Tokyo. This certainly made it easier for him to find his way to the backstreets where his supposed guardian was now living. But when Izuku arrived at the back alley, he realized his navigation app wouldn't be of any use in this part of town.

"Guess I should ask for directions…" Izuku glanced about at his surroundings. For a backstreet, the area was oddly busy with both people and businesses than he thought it'd be. To his left, he saw several apartment buildings with pedestrians loitering around. To his right, he spotted a sign for several businesses: a public bath, a batting cage and a coffee shop. Izuku also remembered passing a small thrift store as well. None of these were particularly busy from what he could see, but the people that were here seemed to frequent the area.

"Mom said that… Sakura-san owned a coffee shop, right?" Izuku mused aloud, trying to recall the words his mother had said to him before he departed.

_I-I'm sorry, Izuku! I don't want to do this, b-but please bear with it! It was the only choice I had…_

Izuku pushed back the memory of his mother's farewell, tears threatening to escape the edges of his eyes. No one was more broken up about his departure than his own mother, not even Izuku. It was a harsh reality for both of them to face the day the verdict came in. No, Izuku was more broken up about the opportunity that was lost to him...

"Hey, kid. What are you loitering around for?" A gruff voice disrupted the teen's line of thought. Izuku turned to his left to see an officer approaching him. True to his nature, Izuku felt his voice catch in his throat as he waved his arms around spastically.

"S-sorry, officer! I-I'm just trying to f-find my way around!" Izuku stuttered. He'd always been something of a nervous wreck and today was no different.

"A-alright kid, slow down." The officer coughed, realizing how much he actually scared Izuku. "Where… exactly are you trying to get to?"

"O-oh, uh…" Izuku nearly choked on his words, trying to collect himself and formulate a proper response. "I am-uh-trying to find Sojiro Sakura's place of residence, sir!" He said louder than he meant to. The officer raised a brow at this and nodded, pointing further down the alley.

"Sakura-san lives about three rows down, on your right." The officer helpfully pointed out before Izuku offered a grateful smile.

"I-I see, thank you, sir! I'll be on my way, then." Izuku bowed in appreciation as he spun on his heels to leave.

"Wait, kid. Sakura-san likely isn't home right now. He's probably at his cafe." The cop stopped him, pointing down one of the closer alleyways with his thumb. "Just go straight down, it'll be on your left. It's called Cafe Leblanc. You can't miss it."

"O-oh, I see. Thank you again, officer!" Izuku gratefully nodded, following the man's directions and heading for the coffee shop. Once upon a time, Izuku wanted to be a police officer and couldn't help but admire those in the line of duty. Of course, he knew that some of them t were corrupt, but Izuku had faith seeing how the officer went out of his way to help him.

But those dreams fell to the wayside the first time he saw All Might in action. It was then and there that Izuku knew what he was going to do. He was going to find his Quirk, become a Hero and save people with a smile!

Or so he thought, at least.

When he found out that he was Quirkless when he was four years old, that dream seemed to be an ocean away. Now he was a Quirkless kid with a criminal record. What little chance he had to become a Hero seemed to be shrinking more and more with each passing day.

It only took Izuku a few minutes to reach the cafe in question. It was a hole in the wall, charmingly modest in size. A peppermint colored awning with the shop's logo, "Coffee and Curry: Leblanc", hung over the entrance, illuminated by a single red light bulb. With bated breath, Izuku meekly pushed the door to the cafe open, a bell above the door jingling at his arrival.

The interior was no more extravagant than the exterior. A row of five booths sat on his left while a bar lined with jars of coffee beans was positioned to his right. The furnishings were all a chocolatey brown save for the rainbow mosaic ceiling lamps, the cherry-colored seat cushions by the bar and the marble white tilings and tables. But the impact of all of these things paled before the rich, dark aroma of coffee that filled the teen's nose as soon as he stepped inside.

At the moment, there were only three occupants, an elderly couple and a middle-aged barista sitting on a cherry-colored chair in front of the counter. The barista wore a pink button-up shirt and khaki pants underneath an apron. His face was beginning to show signs of wear, a few wrinkles ran across his brow and on either side of his nose, but he certainly looked decades younger than the people he was serving. His hairline had receded all the way back to his scalp, but what remained was slicked back and as dark as the coffee he was serving. He sported a matching chinstrap beard with a goatee that protruded from his chin. His round, thin-rimmed glasses clung tightly to his pointed nose, which was currently stuck in a newspaper. Seeing no one else around, Izuku assumed that this was Sojiro Sakura.

"These crashes are becoming rather frequent. I'm beginning to wonder what exactly is going on in the world right now." The old man of the couple commented aloud, most likely speaking to the distracted store owner. "Perhaps some of those Heroes will be able to put a stop to it."

"Four letter word for a shellfish that's used for farming pearls…" Midoriya heard the barista mutter.

"U-um… sir…" Izuku began, finally making his presence known. The man Izuku assumed was Sojiro pulled his attention away from his crossword, glancing up at the teen for a moment before sighing.

"Right… Inko did just call earlier…" The man hummed, folding his paper and placing it back on the bar behind him before standing up. At the same time, the old couple also stood from their seats, bowing politely.

"I believe we'll be heading home now, Sakura-san. It's nice to have to not worry about any cars crashing in here." The old man chuckled, his comment seeming rather random to both Sojiro and Izuku.

"What?" The coffee shop owner asked in confusion.

"The rampage accidents. They've been all over the news lately, after all." The old man reiterated.

Izuku remembered hearing a few news channels mention the crashes. Drivers would suddenly have mental shutdowns at the wheel, causing their cars to careen out of control. Now that he was living where all of these terrible accidents were happening on a daily basis, he couldn't help but shudder at little.

Sojiro, on the other hand, was entirely unperturbed.

"None of my concern."

"Nothing phases you, eh, boss? Anyways, have a good day." With that, the elderly couple walked out of the cafe, Sojiro waiting for them to disappear around the corner before sighing.

"Four hours for only one cup of joe…" Sojiro grumbled tiredly before straightening up as he looked at Izuku. "Sorry for the wait. I'm Sojiro Sakura, your new guardian for the time being." He finally introduced himself.

The boy's composure collapsed in an instant under Sojiro's gaze.

"I-I'm I-Izuku Midoriya! I-it's a pl-pleasure to finally meet you, sir!" Izuku sputtered out, bowing low as he tried to make a decent first impression.

"Geez, kid. Relax a little. I was going for intimidating, not terrifying…" Sojiro sighed, waving for him to stand up. "And enough of the 'sir' thing. You can call me boss or Sakura-san."

"Ye-yes si-I mean-Sakura-san." Izuku corrected quickly, straightening his posture as best he could as he continued to tremble. Sojiro gave the boy a quick once over before smirking.

"I figured you'd look like your mom, but to be honest you're almost the spitting image of her," Sojiro continued, leaning on the bar as he spoke. "Now, I'm sure you understand the circumstances behind our arrangement. From today on until next year, I'm going to be your acting guardian. You'll be staying with me until your probation is over. Though, to be honest, when Inko told me her kid was in trouble like this, I had no idea what to expect. Far as I can tell, though, you're actually pretty similar to your mom."

"Y-yeah, I get that a lot…" Izuku sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. It was no secret that Izuku took after his mother when it came to his looks and his frayed nerves.

"But that's what gets me. You got in trouble for assault, right?" Sojiro hummed, holding his chin in thought. The mere mention of his crime caused the teen to visibly flinch. "Why would a kid like you stick your nose in something like that when you're this skittish?"

Izuku cast his gaze towards the ground, the words leaden in his throat until Sojiro was just about to change the subject. "That woman was calling out for help. I couldn't just do nothing…"

Sojiro raised a brow after he got his answer, watching as Izuku glanced up and met his eyes for the first time. The cafe owner sighed, scratching under his chin and shaking his head. "Well, whatever your reason for butting in, you should have stayed out of it. Sticking your nose where it doesn't belong brings you nothing but trouble. Not to mention the trouble it causes for people around you like your mother. There are professionals for this kind of thing You could've gone to a police officer or even an actual Hero, for that matter. Did you even think about what the consequences of meddling were before you ran in?"

The boy couldn't come up with a response, only casting his gaze away from his new guardian. Had Izuku been anything like he expected, Sojiro would have been far more firm in his approach. But considering what he'd already seen from his new ward and the fact that this kid was Inko's son, he decided to ease up.

"I'm sure I can trust you not to cause any trouble. From what your mom's told me, you've never had an incident like this before, anyway. Just try to keep your head down and you should get through the school year just fine."

"I-I see… thank you again for taking me under your roof, Sakura-san." Izuku nodded, bowing again in appreciation.

"Geez, kid. You're making it hard to give a stronger hand on all this," Sojiro sighed, shaking his head before turning around. "Come on. I'm going to show you to your room."

He led Izuku to the stairs at the back of the cafe. Once they reached the top, Sojiro stepped aside to allow Izuku to step further inside. The boy wasn't quite sure what he was looking at.

"This will be your room from now on. You've got a bed in that corner and some sheets I'll bring you a little later to put on," Sojiro declared, seemingly oblivious to the mess that had overtaken the room.

A half dozen cardboard boxes, canisters of gasoline, a heater, a stepladder, opaque garbage bags and a tropical house plant of some kind sat on a tarp on the right side of the room. It was hard to decide what was trash and what wasn't. The floor was caked with dust and the left side of the room, which was littered with even more boxes and bags, looked no better than the right.

There were a number of shelves and even a coffee table, but they were all filled with old newspapers, chair cushions, and assorted junk that were all covered in cobwebs. A number of bare, white light bulbs hung from the ceiling. There was also clouded glass window above the bed, but it was so filthy that little natural light filtered through.

"It's um… big?" Izuku forced out, unable to come up with anything more polite to say. At the very least, it was bigger than the room he had at home, but there was just so much stuff in here that he couldn't use any of the space.

"You mean cluttered?" Sojiro chuckled with a smirk before placing a hand on the green-haired teen's shoulder. "You'll have to clean it all yourself, kid. By the way, your mom sent all your clothes and things earlier. It's in the box over there." Sojiro pointed toward the dusty worktable on the far corner to the left of the window, a cardboard box sitting at the bottom.

Izuku nodded. "I-I see, thank you..."

"Yeah. By the way, while I don't think you'll do anything of the sort, don't go taking anything from the shop, got it? I won't hesitate to throw you out, even if your mother is an old friend of mine."

The venom in his words made Izuku flinch, but he nodded in understanding again.

"Now I've gotta keep the shop running," Sojiro continued. "Get yourself situated here, but try to keep it down. I don't want my customers bothered by the noise, got it?"

"Y-yes, Sakura-san. I'll do my best…" Izuku glanced back at the ocean of clutter before him. Sojiro only nodded, turning around and heading back down the stairs to the cafe. Izuku took a moment to process his situation, trying to sort out what exactly led to this sudden change in his life.

_The consequences of meddling, huh?_

* * *

_It all happened a little over a month ago. That one, meaningless incident had escalated in a heartbeat.._

_Izuku was on his way home from the gym after a long day at school. The sun had already set and the streetlights were flickering to life as he proceeded down the familiar sidewalks of his hometown. He was looking over all of his notes from class as well as whatever he had written down in his burnt Hero Analysis notebook._

" _Eraserhead's capture weapon is really cool… it has to be made of some kind of special nanofiber and metal alloy to be able to restrain Villains so well. I probably won't be able to get anything that expensive before the exam, but could I get something similar? I should probably study his techniques too since his Quirk doesn't enhance his physical prowess..." He thought aloud._

_The U.A. Entrance Exam was fast-approaching. If Izuku was going to get into the school of his dreams, the alma mater of the World's Greatest Hero, then he had to put in twice the amount of work as anyone else to make up for his Quirklessness. Never mind the fact that the school only admitted one-in-three-hundred applicants. U.A. had never admitted a Quirkless student before, but that didn't mean it was an impossibility, right?_

_Then, as he was rounding the corner just a few blocks from his home, he heard the woman scream._

" _Someone, please! Help me!"_

_Izuku's eyes immediately began darting around to find the source of the scream. Not much further down the street, he spotted a woman trying to wrest her hands out of the grip of a bald man in an expensive-looking suit. Izuku didn't stop to process anything else as he sprinted towards them._

_He'd always done this. It was a problem of his, rushing to the aid of anyone who asked for it before he even had a chance to think about what he was doing._

_But he couldn't help it, his feet just moved on their own._

" _You bitch… you think you can... Refuse me?" The man slurred out, obviously drunk. He reached out and grabbed her other arm to hold her in place. "You've got no idea… what I can do…"_

" _St-stop it!" Izuku's voice scratched out, almost cracking but holding just enough weight for the fighting pair to pause at his intrusion. The drunk threw a sideways glance Izuku's way._

" _Get lost, kid… this is… none of your concern…" The drunk huffed out irritably before turning back to the woman and pulling her closer. Izuku bit his bottom lip, unsure what exactly he could do against the much larger man._

_He may have started working out, but he doubted he could do much against a fully grown man. But Izuku didn't waste another second as the woman cried out again, dropping his bag on the ground and rushing forward._

" _I-I told you to stop it! Leave her alone!" Izuku snapped, summoning whatever courage he could muster as he grabbed the man's arm and pulled. Much to Izuku's surprise, the man quickly lost his footing and tripped, hitting the ground face first._

_"Wh-what? I-I didn't… pull that hard…" Izuku muttered, the woman beside him gasping in fear. The man grunted in pain before rolling on his ass and glaring at Izuku, holding his face to cover the bloody cut he received._

" _You damn brat! I'll sue!"_

* * *

Izuku found it morbidly funny how a single decision could have changed his life so drastically. He imagined that this would have been a life-changing event, but he hoped that it would have been for the better. Now, only weeks after being arrested and placed on trial, Izuku was now on probation with a record for his "violent act". He could already feel the tears at the corners of his eyes as he gripped his hand in frustration.

But it wasn't moving away that hurt the most. Nor was it his year-long probation. What stung most of all was the fact that with a criminal record, his chances of becoming a Pro Hero had all but vanished.

The trial made him miss the U.A. Entrance Exam, meaning that he'll never be able to get the training he needed to become a Hero. He'd never be able to get a license or get employed at a Hero Office.

Sure, Shujin was a prestigious preparatory school, but it had no Hero Course to speak of. Even if it did, the school would never admit someone like him into it.

As if being Quirkless wasn't enough of a strike on his life already. What kind of Hero Office would accept someone with a record, anyways?

Izuku shook his head, trying to erase those drifting thoughts from his mind for the moment. "No use dwelling on it… just have to endure…" He muttered. Those had words having become something of a personal mantra ever since he was sentenced.

He'd cried his eyes out over this too many times to count. As things were, he would try and just deal with it now. It wouldn't do him any good to keep shedding tears.

_There has to be a way I can become a Hero. There has to be way. There has to be a way..._

He glanced around the room at the clutter again. It was a bit of a depressing sight, but it was a welcome one. At the very least, it'd be the perfect way to get his mind off that fateful day.

"I'll start with this room!" Izuku huffed, radiating a determined glow as he set to work. For the next few hours, Izuku devoted himself to the tedious task of sorting through and throwing away the junk he found. He wasn't a neat freak, but he didn't plan on spending the next year in a pigsty. After all, Heroes needed to organized and ready for anything.

The day came and went, Izuku finishing whatever he could as night fell. By the time he realized that the moonlight was shining through the now cleaned window, most of the left side of the room had been cleared and the junk on the right side had been sorted into what was obviously junk and what he would ask Sojiro would be okay to throw out or keep.

"Damn." Izuku heard Sojiro whistle, turning around to see the coffee shop owner glancing around the room. "I figured you were a hard worker but I didn't think you'd get so much done already. Not bad. Though I guess it's normal to want to keep your room clean."

"I-I've come up with a list of things I found in here." Izuku declared, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a notepad. "First, there were a bunch of things like books and small pieces of hardware lying around. I wanted to ask you what would be okay to toss out. There was a bike in the pile that seems to be in decent shape. I put the less practical but noteworthy items in a trash bag for you to sort through. The ones that seemed more important I put into those boxes next to them, but if you find something you still want to throw out among them, you can. I then started to…"

And so began one of Izuku's infamous mumble storms. Sojiro could only look on incredulously as the green-haired teen muttered his way through each and every item he had jotted down.

"Wh-whoa kid, slow down. Breathe a little before you choke," the cafe owner finally interjected, snapping Izuku to attention. "You always ramble like that?"

Izuku blushed, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Y-yeah, sorry about that… I've been known to do that sometimes…" He admitted, remembering the times he'd be caught doing the same at school.

"Well… anyways, I'm getting ready to lock up. Try and head to bed. You don't want to stay up too late and catch a cold," Sojiro suggested, turning around to leave. "If you're hungry, I made you a plate of curry downstairs. Just warm it up and you should be good to go."

"A-ah, I see. Th-thank you, Sakura-san." Izuku nodded, bowing in appreciation.

"Yeah. Just remember not to touch anything else. Oh, just as a reminder before I go, tomorrow we're visiting your new school, Shujin Academy. We've got to get your class schedule and meet with the principal."

"I-I understand. Thank you again…" With that, Sojiro turned again to leave.

"B-but I was wondering… how come I'm staying here instead of… at your house? If you don't mind me asking…"

He stopped for a moment before glancing back at Izuku.

"There are a few reasons for it. All of them are  **none**  of your concern."

Izuku flinched at the blunt statement, nodding in acceptance as it was obvious he wasn't going to get much else out of Sojiro on the subject.

"R-right, sorry for prying…"

Sojiro saw the look of defeat on Izuku's face and sighed. "Look, just know it's nothing to do with you. Besides, this place is much bigger than any room I've got and we'll both have our privacy this way. Anyways, I've gotta get going to make dinner. I'll see you in the morning."

With that, the shop owner finally took off for home. Izuku sighed in resignation, glancing around and looking at his new bed. With all the work he put into cleaning this place, even a beat-up mattress like this one looked welcoming.

"Guess I'll just head to bed..." Izuku took a step forward, but paused when he heard his phone ring. He blinked as he whipped out his phone, only to be greeted by the familiar app that infected his his cell. "Again? This spyware just won't go away…"

More for self reassurance than anything, Izuku moved the app to the trash bin. Releasing another weary sigh, the green-haired teen trotted to his bed and laid flat on his back, lazily pulling the blanket to cover his legs.

"Guess this is the next year for me…" He muttered to no one in particular, his eyelids becoming heavier with each passing second. He didn't fight it, allowing sleep to come.

* * *

It didn't last long.

Izuku's eyes suddenly shot open as an unsettling feeling overcame his body. Something was definitely wrong.

The ceiling was much darker than before and higher off the ground than he remembered. A faint light shined above his head, and the walls around him were much closer than before.

The teen sat up in a state of panic, now getting a look at his attire.

"Wh-what is this?!"

Gone were the clothes he had decided to sleep in. They were replaced with the prisoner's costume you'd see in cartoons. The shirt and pants were worn and ragged, covered with alternating horizontal stripes of black and white. His wrists were bound by a set of dark iron cuffs with a chain between them. Izuku got chills at the thought of a possible kidnapping.

He leaped to his feet and searched for an exit, only to find it sealed off by steel bars. He threw himself at the bars, nearly tripping when he realized his ankle was being weighed down. He then glanced toward the back of the cell to find that his leg was shackled to a comically large iron ball bigger than his head, including his hair. But nothing about Izuku's situation felt humorous.

"So you've finally awoken." Izuku jumped in shock when he heard a menacingly deep voice, snapping his attention back out of the room. Outside of his cell was a circular room lined with other cells that were all bathed in a deep blue glow. An aging man sat at a large desk covered with papers and a single lampshade in the center, a few meters away from Izuku's cell. A single searchlight shone down on the man and a four-directional megaphone hung above his head.

Even though Izuku was used to seeing people with strange Quirks that gave them multiple arms, animal-like heads and other unusual mutations, something about this man was unnatural and unnerving.

The top of his head was completely bald, strands of snow white hair ringing the sides and back. His arms were unusually lanky and noodle-like. His eyes were wider than saucers. Most notable of all was the man's obscenely long, hawkish nose.

"Trickster," he began as he gestured towards Izuku with a gloved hand. "Welcome to my Velvet Room."

Izuku meekly placed his hands on the bars as he stared at his captor, unable to formulate a solid response. Instead, the man's lips curled up as watched the teen fruitlessly pull at the bars The captive screaming the one thing any sane person would in this predicament:

" **What's going on?!** "

**To be continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own neither My Hero Academia or the Persona Series.**

Chapter 2

" **What's going on?!** "

If Izuku had thought through things a bit more logically, he might have assumed this was all but a dream. In which case, he could also assume it was a nightmare. But everything around him felt too real. Izuku couldn't remember a time when his mind had been so clear during a dream.

Izuku had spent enough time studying Heroes and Villains to rationalize his predicament a dozen different ways, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to acknowledge any of them.

***BANG***

"Quiet, inmate!" Izuku jumped in fright as the bars he gripped were suddenly struck. Looking for the source, Izuku found a pair of small girls, twins, standing in front of his cell. Both wore identical uniforms, velvet-collared blue shirts with black ties and thigh-length pleated shorts. The girls both shared platinum blonde hair and golden eyes. While they both wore an eyepatch over one eye, they each wore it on a different side.

Their hair was also styled differently. The one who struck the bars having two buns on each side of her head while the other had a long braid running straight down her back. The twin to his right obviously held the baton that struck his cell, while the twin to his left carried a clipboard. Upon closer inspection, he also noticed that their hats had English letters on them. The gir with the batonl had "X-R-M-N" embroidered on the front of her hat, while the girl with the clipboard had "O-Y-O-O" on hers.

"All will be explained in due time, prisoner. Allow our master to continue," the twin on his left said, her voice stoic when compared to the her sister. "The you in reality is currently fast asleep. You are correct to assume that this is a dream."

"Speaking of our master, stand up straight!" The rude twin ordered, glaring from the side as she turned her back to Izuku. "Show some respect!"

"Welcome. I am delighted to make your acquaintance." The long-nosed man said before Izuku could ask any of the many questions that were currently forming in his head. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter. My name is Igor, the master of this place. Remember it well."

Izuku gulped as he heard the strange man's name, nodding slowly in acceptance. It was probably one of the few things since this dream started that wasn't terribly confusing.

"S-so if this is some kind of dream, but also real… why am I here?"

"I summoned you to speak of important matters." Igor answered cryptically, glancing around the room. "Still, this is quite a surprise. This room is designed to reflect the state of your heart. To think a prison would appear as such."

Igor chuckled, glancing back at Izuku. "You truly are a 'prisoner' of fate. To be born Quirkless in a world full of wonderful powers, I would say that this idea applies quite well to you."

Izuku couldn't help but flinch at the mention of his nonexistent powers. It seems that even here, in some dream or nightmare, either it be, he would be reminded of such.

"In the near future, make no mistake that ruin awaits you." Now this drew Izuku's attention back to the subject at hand.

"R-ruin? What do you mean by that...?" Izuku asked, unsure what he was supposed to do with such a vague promise of doom.

"Exactly what you might think: the end to everything. But worry not, prisoner. We shall provide you with the means of avoiding this fate." Igor declared, waving his hand around as he spoke. "To avoid this fate, you must be 'rehabilitated'. Rehabilitated toward freedom. That is your only means of avoiding ruin… Do you have the resolve to face the distortion of this world?"

"W-w-wait a moment, I'm still confused!" Izuku exclaimed, waving his hands in front of him. "I mean, of course I want to avoid ruin! But nothing you're saying is-"

"Good, then. Allow me to observe your path to rehabilitation." Igor interrupted without a care as Izuku slumped against the bars.

_He completely avoided my questions…_

The boy's gaze then turned to the twins from before, both standing at attention in front of him.

"Ah, forgive me for not introducing the others. To your right is Caroline; to your left, Justine. They serve as wardens here."

"Hmph. Try and struggle all you like! Though you don't look very tough." Caroline taunted with a small smirk, but Izuku couldn't find the strength to refute her.

"We wardens are here to protect the inmates. We are also your collaborators." Justine spoke up this time, her voice carrying the same amount of stoicism as before. "That is, if you remain obedient. Though you don't look the type to rebel."

"I get the feeling you're both making fun of me…" Izuku grumbled, leaning on the bars for support.

"I will explain their roles at another occasion." Igor said, tapping his desk with his fingers. "Now, then, It seems the night is waning. It is almost time. Take your time to slowly come to understand this place. We will surely meet again, eventually…"

With a wave of his hand, the sound of a bell began to echo through the circular prison. Izuku's eyes darted around to find the source.

"Time is up. Hurry and return to sleep, inmate." Caroline ordered with a glare.

"W-wait, though! I still have so many questions!" Izuku cried out, reaching forward and gripping the steel bars. Not a moment later did his body suddenly slacken, his eyelids getting heavier with each passing moment. "I want to… know what's…"

He didn't have the chance to finish his sentence before sleep finally took him.

* * *

As he slowly peeled his eyes open, Izuku surveyed his surroundings once more as he sat back up, sighing in relief as he recognized the attic of Cafe Leblanc.

_What a strange dream… but it felt so real. And I remember it all so clearly… but I still can't make heads or tails of anything they were saying._

"Hey, kid. You up?" Izuku turned to the stairs leading to his room, watching as Sojiro climbed to the top of the stairwell. His outfit had changed little, only ditching the apron for a white blazer and sporting a white trilby with a red-white-and-blue hat band. "Oh, good. Make sure to wash up. We're going to be leaving soon to introduce ourselves to the school staff. Now, your new school will be in the Aoyama district. You'll have to take the train and route transfers are a pain. But for today, and today only, I'll drive you up there."

"I-I see… thank you, Sakura-san." Izuku nodded, pulling his blanket off of his feet and kicking them over the bed.

"Yeah. Just get downstairs and wash your face, at least. Then we can go." Sojiro said before turning around and stomping down the steps. "Sheesh… only women are usually allowed in my passenger seat…" Izuku heard him mutter, the green-haired teen could laugh weakly in response.

He swallowed some of the spit that gathered in his mouth and sighed yet again, looking at the wall in thought.

_Maybe all of that was just a dream... I've been having a lot of stress, right? Yeah, that's it..._

* * *

The drive to Shujin wasn't long, though Izuku guessed that was probably because they had left before traffic had really started to build up. Izuku took a moment to stare up at the intimidating building, which resembled a prison more than a school.

It was made of dull, gray cement and parts of the building protruded outward around the stone steps leading inside, forming an inverted "U". A minimalist clock hung above and to the right of the door while a stone fence wrapped around the entirety of the school and was lined with green shrubbery.

The only way in or out was through the front gate, which was made of black cast iron shaped into concentric circles with numerous gaps in between the lines. All of the circles were split in half along the hinge of the gate. Warnings against bad behavior like smoking and loitering hung on the gate along with reminders to be in class before 8:00 a.m.

"Alright, looks like we're here." Sojiro stated, stopping in his pace and glancing back at Izuku. "Now, look. Try not to say anything unnecessary in there. Just do your best to stay out of trouble."

"O-of course. I wouldn't want to cause you any trouble, Sakura-san." Izuku nodded meekly, Sojiro releasing a heavy sigh as he rubbed his face.

"I'm still having trouble picturing you as a delinquent with a record…" Sojiro muttered to himself. "But yes, I'd like for you to avoid that. I'm not going to act like I know you well enough to care what happens to you, but I'd hate to be chewed out by your mom if something does."

Izuku nodded in understanding, knowing that the two had met only yesterday. If anything, Izuku just appreciated the fact that Sojiro didn't completely write him off from the get go. He was getting a lot of that nowadays.

It didn't take long for the two to find their way to the principal's office, the two easily making their way through the halls and following the directory. The layout of the school was surprisingly straightforward. It wouldn't take long for Izuku to gain his bearings. Izuku and Sojiro were then greeted by two adults, one an incredibly portly bald man in a brown suit, and the other a woman most likely in her late twenties.

She wore a yellow and white striped shirt and a simple jean skirt. Her hair was wavy and she wore a tired expression on her face as she greeted them.

The one thing both adults had in common was that they both glared at Izuku as if they were trying to bore holes through him. Their gazes made him nervous, breaking eye contact as he struggled to keep his jitteriness hidden. He couldn't get over being treated like a criminal no matter how many times he experienced it.

"Did you have something for me to sign?" Sojiro asked, skipping over the pleasantries and just wanting to get things over with.

"Why, yes. Please, just fill out some of these forms and we'll be done here." The fat man explained, pushing several papers forward for Sojiro to look at. The nameplate on the table revealed his name to be Kobayakawa.

The coffee shop owner nodded, leaning forward and taking a pen to look over the papers. The plump man quickly shifted his gaze over to Izuku, his expression hardening once again.

"Just so we're clear, if you cause any trouble, you will be expelled."

"Y-yes sir…" Izuku muttered, stiffening up as he gave a numb nod.

"Honestly, I hesitated to accept someone with your record, but there were some… circumstances on our side." Kobayakawa huffed, reaching across the table and grabbing a few papers. "You did excel academically in middle school. That's not an indicator you're a good student, but at least you'll be able to pass your classes here."

"I-I'll try not to be a nuisance to anyone." Izuku once again nodded, this time giving an apologetic bow. He couldn't see it, but the female teacher seemed to soften her gaze at the sight of him. Izuku didn't know it, but his meekness made him good at getting others to sympathize with him.

Then again, growing up with someone like Katsuki Bakugou probably helped.

"This is Sadayo Kawakami. She is a second-year homeroom teacher. She will not be in charge of your class, but she was available to help introduce you to our school." Kobayakawa explained, motioning to the female teacher next to him.

"Welcome to Shujin Academy." Kawakami sighed, her voice hiding little of her apathy and resignation. "Please read the school handbook and follow the rules. If you end up messing up, I won't be able to help you and neither will any of your other teachers."

"I-I'm sorry to burden you, Kawakami-sensei. Please take care of me." Izuku bowed once more. The brunette teacher could only raise a brow before glancing over at Kobayakawa.

"Are you… sure this is the kid with a criminal record? He looks like he could barely hurt a fly." Kawakami asked curiously. Sojiro could barely stifle a chuckle as Izuku felt sweat running down his neck out of embarrassment.

"Looks can be deceiving, Kawakami-san. Do your best to keep an eye on him while you can." The fat principal asserted, straightening out his jacket before turning back to Izuku and Sojiro.

"That will be all for today. You will officially begin school starting tomorrow." He then turned to the coffee shop owner specifically, "Sakura-san, please keep an eye on him. We don't want him causing trouble outside of school as well."

"Well, I'll be sure to remind him once we get back." Sojiro sighed in exasperation.

"Come to the faculty office when you arrive at school tomorrow. I'll guide you to your classroom," Kawakami explained further. "Other than that, you're free to go."

"Thank you for your time." Sojiro politely nodded to the two instructors, turning around and motioning for Izuku to follow. The meek teen offered a deep bow to both Kobayakawa and Kawakami before leaving and rushing out after his current guardian. Kawakami waited a for the two to leave before releasing a heavy sigh, turning to the fat principal.

"I know I said I wanted overtime work, but I didn't imagine this…" The female teacher groaned, rubbing her arm in annoyance. "Was this really the only thing you could have me do?"

"It was a last minute transfer. The first-year classes are always packed and I couldn't find anyone else for his first day." Kobayakawa admitted, giving a somewhat sympathetic look to Kawakami. "Just endure it a little longer and you will be paid for the time. Just keep an eye on him. I know he might look a bit meek, but remember that he has a criminal record for assault. It would be best for you to be careful around him."

"Right… I'll keep that in mind." Kawakami nodded with a sigh, resigning herself to the idea. "What's his Quirk, anyway?"

"Oh, about that. He's Quirkless." Kobayakawa answered. The brunette teacher blinked in disbelief.

"W-wait, how did a Quirkless kid get a record for assault?"

* * *

Sojiro and Izuku walked in silence until they reached the main entrance, the coffee shop owner releasing a heavy sigh.

"To think that even the staff would treat you like a nuisance. I guess school never changes, even in this day and age…"

He glanced back at Izuku, who looked like a kicked puppy as tears threatened to leak at the corner of his eyes.

Sojiro could understand how hard it was for the meek kid to be labeled a criminal, especially by adults who were supposed to support and guide him to adulthood.

"Come on. Let's get out of here before traffic hits, hopefully."

"Y-yes, Sakura-san…" Izuku muttered in agreement, his eyes still cast to the ground. Sojiro was tempted to say something, but decided that nothing he could say would console him. Not to mention he wasn't trying to remain distant from the boy to be his disciplinarian. He already broke character the first time around. So they walked to the car in silence.

They didn't exchange a word until they hit the main streets of Shibuya, where they immediately ran into one of Tokyo's infamous traffic jams. The cars only had just enough room to inch along their current lane and there was no way for them to switch to a local road from their current position.

"Damn it, this traffic is going nowhere!" Sojiro cursed in irritation, glancing at Izuku sternly. "You're taking the train, starting tomorrow."

"Wh-what do you think caused this?" Izuku muttered curiously, gazing across the line of cars before them.

"Who knows. We are in Shibuya, after all. It's probably just another traffic jam. Though from what I hear, those random psychotic breakdowns are probably behind it, too. A lot of problems all around." Sojiro sighed, leaning on his free hand in boredom as he barely needed to move the car. "And of course, the obvious answer would probably be-"

"Look, it's All Might!"

Izuku and Sojiro froze at the announcement, most likely from a driver in another car. Without warning, Izuku threw his door open and waded into traffic.

"H-hey! What are you doing?!" Sojiro protested, his eyes wide at his ward's sudden impulsiveness.

His protests fell on deaf ears as he continued to watch Izuku run ahead. Izuku's eyes had a spark the barista had never seen from him before at the mere mention of the Number One Hero. Several other people had done the same, most of them hoping to catch a glimpse of the Symbol of Peace. The coffee shop owner groaned tiredly as he stepped out himself. Even if he was in the middle of a crowded street, most of the other drivers had done the same. He might as well get a show while he waited.

"Th-there he is!" Izuku pointed out, Sojiro following his line of sight. Jumping through the air was indeed All Might. He wore his classic blue and red spandex, his cape billowing in the air behind him. Under his arm there was some overly large and slightly deformed man, most likely due to his Quirk, beaten unconscious. Lifting his head somewhat, Sojiro could hear the boisterous laughter of the number one hero echoing through the air.

The coffee shop owner couldn't stop the smirk from edging at the corner of his mouth. He would never admit it, but even a hardened cynic like him was happy to see All Might in action. He wasn't a huge fan, but it was hard not to admire the so-called World's Greatest Hero.

But Izuku was grinning like a kid in a candy store, his glittering green eyes hiding no small amount of his admiration.

"S-so cool… I actually got to see him… He looks even cooler in person..."

"Careful, kid. You'll drool at this rate." Sojiro pointed out with a small chuckle, glancing at Izuku from the side. Despite taking notice of Sojiro this time, Izuku smile would not fade as he gazed at his guardian. "Didn't realize you were such a huge All Might fan. Though maybe it's normal for kids your age to look up to that guy."

"Of course! All Might is amazing in every sense of the word!" Izuku declared without hesitation, looking back to the sky to watch as the hero continued to jump from building to building, his figure slowly shrinking in the distance.

"Ever since I was little, I've always wanted to be a Hero just like… just like…" Izuku's grin finally began to disappear, his shoulders and pupils falling as he spoke. Harsh reality quickly evaporated what was left of his energetic stupor.

"Oh… right…"

Sojiro couldn't stop the sympathetic frown from spreading down his lips. Until now, Izuku had been meek, stammering mess. But after seeing the Symbol of Peace, he had almost become a completely different person. It surprised Sojiro more than anything that a feeble kid like Izuku wanted to be a hero, but it was obvious how passionate he was about the idea. Sojiro didn't say it, but he was well aware of Izuku's Quirklessness.

He wasn't sure if he should admire the boy's tenacity up to this point or if or be dumbstruck at his stupidity for wanting to become a Hero without a Quirk. But no matter what he thought, that dream was completely shattered now. Having missed his chance to attend a Hero School like U.A. and gaining a criminal record, Izuku's chances of becoming a Pro were practically nil. It was almost like he'd been forced to play a game that had been rigged against him from the start.

"Come on, kid. Let's go home." Sojiro finally spoke up again, his voice softer than usual. Izuku didn't bother looking at Sojiro, just offering a slow nod before returning to the car in silence.

_Poor kid._

* * *

The moment Izuku and Sojiro arrived at Leblanc, Izuku returned to his room without a sound. Sojiro had deigned to leave him alone, wordlessly looking around his shop and checking for any problems. The traffic had been backed up for miles and the day was practically over already, so there was no reason for the shopkeeper to open up.

The green-haired teen pulled the box of his belongings out from underneath the workbench, flipping open the top and peeking inside. Having spent most of the previous day cleaning, Izuku missed the chance to take a look inside before. As he expected, his mother had packed his All Might memorabilia for him. The first thing he spotted being a rolled up poster. Next to it were articles of folded clothing as well as his weights for training. He knew he could do little without a Quirk, Izuku had been training his body as hard as he could in preparation for the U.A. Entrance Exam.

Izuku first pulled out the poster, but kept it rolled up as he set it aside. He then moved to the weights, pulling them out and walking back to the right front corner of his room and setting them down. He glanced around the room, trying to come up with other ways to to work out with the resources he had. He spotted the chair in the corner of the room before looking up at the ceiling. There was a low-hanging beam to the left of the workbench.

"Pull-ups would be pretty good for working out…" He muttered to himself, walking over to the chair and pulling it directly below the beam. Before he could proceed any further, Izuku heard footsteps climbing the stairs, glancing over to see Sojiro enter his room.

"Hey. I forgot to give this to you earlier, but…" Sojiro began as he reached into his pocket. As he looked up at Izuku though, he immediately froze and felt his jaw slacken. "Holy shit, kid… You're not thinking of…"

"Eh?" Izuku blinked in confusion at first, glancing at the beam and the chair before immediately putting two and two together.

"N-n-no, Sakura-san! N-nothing like that, I swear! I-I just figured that I could use the beam to work out! I-I often work out every day for about two hours or so!" He yelped, furiously waving his arms in the air in hopes of alleviating Sojiro's concern.

The coffee shop owner wasn't wholly convinced, his gaze obviously worried before glancing around his room. Seeing the weights on the ground though, Sojiro decided that Izuku might be telling the truth.

"Alright, alright, kid. I believe you. Just… try not to hurt yourself while you're working out." He sighed, reaching in his pocket again and pulling out a small notebook.

"I need to give you this. It's a diary. Since you're on probation, I have to report your daily activities. That's a pretty big hassle, so I want you to just write it all down in that diary for me."

"A-ah, I see. I'll be sure to do that…" Izuku nodded, just relieved that Sojiro didn't think he was trying to kill himself now.

"You might be on probation, but there aren't any special restrictions on what you can do. Aside from following the law, of course." Sojiro explained, crossing his arms in front of him. "Like I said before, don't go messing with anything downstairs. If you do I'll kick you out in a heartbeat." Sojiro affirmed.

While he didn't think Izuku was the type to mess around, his shop was one of the most important things to him. There was no harm in making that crystal clear.

"Anyways, that's about it. I'm going to head home now and start dinner." Izuku opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he heard Sojiro's phone buzz. The shopkeeper reached in and pulled out his cell, a small smirk tugging at his lips before answering.

"Hey… Don't worry, I'll be over soon… I know, the usual, right?" He chuckled, paying no mind to Izuku's growing curiosity. "Got it, I'll be sure to grab some… see you soon, alright?"

With that, he hung up and stuffed the phone away, clearing his throat and looking back up at his ward. "Well, that's my signal to take off. By the way, I left you a plate of curry wrapped up if you're hungry. I noticed you didn't eat the one before, but I'm guessing you were just beat from cleaning up all day. Give it a taste, it might surprise you."

"A-ah, right. I'll be sure to have some tonight. Sorry for wasting the previous plate." Izuku apologized. He was actually famished now that he thought about it. He hadn't eaten a thing in two days because of how hectic things had been. He would definitely devour the plate once he was done working out.

"Don't worry about it. Considering it's house special, you'll have plenty of other chances to try it." Sojiro chuckled before turning around. "Alright, see you in the morning." He bid farewell, descending down the stairs.

Izuku returned to his workout, setting the chair under the beam so he could reach it before going over to his storage box and changing out of his school uniform and into a tank top and aqua sweatpants.

He started his usual routine with sit-ups and push-ups before moving on to pull-ups. His muscles tensed and tightened as he exercised. It had been well over a week since his last real workout due to all the events that transpired. It was nice to be able to get back in routine.

"Eleven… twelve…" Izuku counted with each pull-up, sweat already glistening off of his skin. His muscles strained with each pull-up, but he wouldn't give up. He had to get stronger so that he could…

_Oh… right…_

Izuku seemed to be a glutton for punishment, having reminded himself for the umpteenth time about his current situation. Still, he continued to train. He wasn't going to give up hope. There had to be a way for him to achieve his goal. There had to be a way...

_Just give it up, Deku! A Quirkless loser can't be a Hero! Forget whatever that idiot ever told you!_

Izuku felt his grip slipping, fingers struggling to keep him suspended in the air. His strength waned for a moment, but Izuku held as best he could before attempting another rep.

_Did you think you were being some kind of Hero? You shouldn't stick your nose in adult business, kid. Now you'll_ _**never** _ _be a Hero!_

Izuku finally lost his grip, grunting in pain as his ass hit the chair and knocked it aside, hitting the floor with no less force. Izuku rubbed his rear in pain and bit his lip in frustration as tears began to stream down his face once again.

No matter how many times he told himself to endure, things never changed.

He couldn't push his way through this situation like his bullying or his classes. Neither of those things had stolen his chance of achieving his dream.

It was like being told he was Quirkless again for the first time. He couldn't keep fooling himself.

He will never be a Hero.

***ring ring***

It took a moment for Izuku to realize the phone was ringing. With a slow bat of his eyes, Izuku finally picked himself up off the ground, ignoring the stinging tears that streaked down his cheeks. He reached into his pocket and checked his phone, though realized it wasn't his own that was ringing.

"It's coming from downstairs…" he muttered, his movements numb as he walked forward and down the steps. A yellow rotary phone was ringing away on the counter of the bar, the receiver hopping up each time the bell tolled. Izuku wondered who could possibly be calling the cafe at this time, but decided to just answer and find out.

"... Hello?" Izuku slowly answered, unsure if it was okay for him to do so in Sojiro's shop.

" _Yo, it's me."_ Izuku blinked as he immediately recognized the voice.

"S-Sakura-san?"

" _Yeah. Sorry to interrupt you if you were working out, but I need a small favor. Could you flip the open sign to closed for me? I forgot to do it on my way out."_

"S-sure, Sakura-san. I don't mind." Izuku agreed, glancing at the sign through the shop entrance.

" _Thanks. I got so caught up in work that I forgot. Just flip it and that's all."_

"Understood, Sakura-san."

" _... you alright kid? You sound pretty beat."_

Izuku blinked after hearing that, surprised that Sojiro was able to pick up on his distress at all. "I-I'm fine, Sakura-san. Thank you for asking."

" _... Alright, if you say so. Just try to get some rest. I know it's been a long day."_ With that, Sojiro hung up. Izuku stood there for a moment before sighing, setting the phone back into the receiver.

With nothing else to do, Izuku went outside and flipped the sign before heading to bed. He didn't bother to try and workout any more than he already had.

It was pointless to him, now.

* * *

Izuku lamely stomped down the stairs from his room. Normally the prospect of a new school would scare the daylights out of him, but so many emotions were swirling inside of him that he didn't have the energy to focus on any of them. He was sure he'd be a nervous wreck again once he arrived at school, but it felt like an afterthought at this point.

He looked himself over to see if he was wearing his new uniform properly as he reached the bottom of the steps. The uniform was a red-buttoned black blazer with Shujin's logo embroidered on a chest pocket over his left pectoral. He wore it over a white turtleneck with two black arrowheads pointing upward on the left side of the neck. The leggings were black plaid with crisscrossing, perpendicular burgundy bands. They were held up with black suspenders that were hidden under the blazer. He decided to forgo the black loafers for his favorite bright red sneakers with white treads. He doubted anyone would care for as long as he was wearing the rest of the uniform.

This wasn't the uniform he wanted to wear. But like most of the things in his life, his Quirklessness, his criminal record and his stupid, impossible dream, he didn't have much say in the matter.

"Hey. Heading out soon?" Izuku heard Sojiro, glancing to the side to see the shopkeep standing behind the counter with an apron on. Aside from the two of them, the shop was still empty. "You've got time, so take a seat. I'll feed you."

"Th-thank you." Izuku nodded, sitting at the bar. "Would you mind making me a cup of house blend as well? Black."

The request brought a smirk to Sojiro's face. "I have to say, didn't take you for a coffee drinker. You trying to impress me or something?"

"O-oh, nothing like that…" Izuku dismissed, waving his hands. "Back home, in the morning before I worked out, I usually had a cup of coffee. It steams up the body during a workout and makes you sweat a lot more. I think I'm just used to drinking it now."

"I see. Didn't realize you were such a hard fitness buff." Sojiro scoffed before nodding. "Alright, one house blend coming up. Here's your plate while you wait." he placed a plate of curry and rice in front of Izuku, the green-haired teen blinking in surprise.

"Curry?"

"Like I said, it's the house special. Might seem a bit early for it, but give it a shot." Sojiro told him as he continued to prepare the coffee for him. Izuku hesitated, picking up his fork and gingerly holding it over his plate. It wasn't that he disliked curry, but it was a strange thing to have for breakfast.

Still, he didn't want to waste Sojiro's food again after missing his dinners twice now, so he dug in. Much to his surprise, the curry was far more flavorful than anything he was expecting. It was all kinds of sweet, savory, and spicy, but all of the flavors synchronized with each other rather than overwhelming one or the other. He remembered once that his mom told him she was trying to replicate a curry recipe belonging to a friend of hers. He guessed that it was this one.

"Th-this is… really good!" Izuku praised after swallowing his first bite. He then proceeded to shovel more into his mouth, now realizing how hungry he was after missing dinner for two nights in a row.

"Told you to try it when I made those plates before." Sojiro smirked proudly, placing a freshly brewed cup of coffee next to Izuku's plate. "Try it with the coffee. I think you'll like the combo."

Izuku did as he was told, quickly taking a sip from the house blend. Izuku was no coffee buff, having only drank what was convenient or cheap when he worked out before, but the blend was richer and more satisfying than anything he had at home. As Sojiro had said, the curry had somehow complimented the coffee in a way he didn't think was possible between such different items.

" _Over eighty people were injured yesterday after a train was overturned as it approached the train station."_ Izuku paused in his meal when he heard the television, glancing up to the side to see a newscaster speaking,  _"It was originally suspected to be the work of an unknown Quirk, but it seems to just be another freak accident caused by the driver."_

"So that's why traffic was so packed yesterday." Sojiro hummed aloud. "I thought it was whoever All Might was carrying off, but I guess that was a different issue. Careful on your way to the train station. The schedule might be messed up as well."

"Y-yes, Sakura-san." Izuku nodded before finishing off his plate and downing the coffee. He jumped off of his stool and slung his bag over his shoulder. "Thank you for breakfast. I'll be going now."

"Sure. Just be careful not to get lost, alright?" Sojiro nodded before turning his attention to his counter. Izuku nodded in agreement, taking off for his first day of school. It was easy to find his way to the subway station, but it was fairly crowded once he got on the train car.

Remembering the route Sojiro had given him, he transferred at Shibuya to hop on the Ginza Line toward Aoyama-Itchome, which would drop him close to Shujin Academy. He would still have to do a bit of walking, but it was nothing out of the ordinary.

The moment he arrived at Aoyama-Itchome, Izuku savored his first breath of fresh air after escaping the crowd of people. Glancing around, he searched for a sign indicating the path he needed to go. Glancing at his phone, he saw that he had little time to dawdle, school started in fifteen minutes. Turning toward his goal, Izuku jogged up the stairs of the subway exit, surveying his new surroundings. Before he could find the right street to walk down, a drop of water touched his nose.

"Wh-what?" He muttered, glancing up at the sky. He had seen that it was rather cloudy before, but didn't realize it was going to be raining that day. He'd totally forgotten to grab an umbrella before leaving.

"Aw, man…" He muttered as he ran to search for any shelter he could find as the rain picked up. He spotted an awning by one of the stores, lifting his bag over his head and using it for cover. Once he got to cover, Izuku turned around to look out at the falling rain, sighing as he watched it come down even harder than before.

"I can't catch a break at all…" He muttered to himself. As he tried to plan his next move, he noticed a hooded girl quickly rushing under the awning next to him. Izuku nervously shuffled away from her on instinct. He had little experience speaking to girls his age. Most of them were usually too busy laughing at him for wanting to be a Hero or gossiping about how he was Quirkless to actually strike up a conversation.

The girl seemed to take little notice of him, turning her gaze out to the the falling rain as well. She reached up and pulled back her hoodie, revealing flowing, platinum blonde hair that was tied up in twin-tails on each side of her head. She definitely looked Japanese, but Izuku could tell from her striking blue eyes that there was a bit of a foreigner in her. She wore a Shujin blazer similar to his, but under it she wore a white sports hoodie with a blue and red vertical stripe going down the center. Her leggings were bright red instead of Shujin's standard black with dark blue boots in place of the expected dark loafers.

Izuku spent little time studying her, his shyness immediately kicking in as he stiffened his posture and stood straighter than a .

 _It's a-a girl! A really p-pretty girl! O-okay, Izuku, keep it together! Just stand here and don't look dumb!_ He mentally cried out, gulping as sweat started to bead down his head.

The girl didn't seem to acknowledge him at first, sighing as she looked out at the rain. After a moment she spared a glance at Izuku, the jumpy teen meeting her gaze for a moment before forcing out a greeting.

"U-uh… hi…" He managed to say, his voice nearly inaudible.

The girl didn't seem to notice how obviously flustered he was to be around her, merely offering a nod and a small smile.

"Hey." She greeted back before turning forward again.

Izuku felt his face turn redder than the lightbulb under Leblanc's awning, his heart pounding in his ears as he quickly turned away to hide his embarrassment.

_Sh-she actually talked to me! I can't believe it~!_

The two returned to silence afterwards. Izuku simply didn't have the courage to try and make any further conversation. He fumbled for his phone to distract himself, pulling it out to check his email. To his shock, the first app that appeared was the ghost app that he had deleted just the other day.

_Again?_

Before he could move the app back into the trash bin, he heard a car slow to a stop in front of them, glancing up to see a man roll down the window and peer out at them.

He had a long, square jaw, and thick, bushy eyebrows. His dark hair was curly and unkempt, protruding to the sides while his bangs were parted at the front of his face. He was dressed entirely in a blue-and-white tracksuit.

"Hello there. Need a ride?" he asked with a curt smile. "You're gonna be late."

Izuku soon realized that the man's eyes were focused on the girl next to him rather than the both of them, glancing sideways at the blonde to see her put on a smile.

"Sure, that'd be great." The girl agreed, walking forward and getting into the man's passenger seat. Izuku watched her get in, his expression falling slightly when he saw the girl frown and cast her eyes down.

_Wh-what's wrong with her? Why is she getting in if she doesn't want to?_

"Do you want a ride as well?" The man suddenly offered, Izuku switching his attention to the adult.

"N-no, thank you." Izuku shook his head. He wasn't sure why he rejected the offer, he chalked up to his own to his own nervousness. But something about this man didn't feel right.

"Suit yourself." The man shrugged before rolling up his window and driving off. Izuku watched them drive away, thoughts drifting back to the girl's frown. He didn't have long to think on it, as he heard someone else rushing past him. Izuku glanced to his left, watching as another teen slowed skidded against the ground and cursed. "Damn it! Screw that pervy teacher!"

Izuku didn't hear it, but a small tone sounded from his phone the moment the boy spoke.

This teen was a bit taller than Izuku, probably five-foot-nine. He had dyed his short, spiky hair blond. Similar to the girl from before, he wore his blazer over a yellow tee with a purple star design at the center instead of the expected turtleneck. Izuku found himself watching the newcomer curiously, though he regretted this when the punkish kid turned around, apparently noticing that Izuku had been watching him.

"Got somethin' to say?" the punk asked.

Izuku blinked as he finally realized he had been staring, now frantically waving his arms around. "N-n-no! I-I wasn't-"

"You plannin' on rattin' me out to Kamoshida?" The blond interrupted, his eyes narrowing at Izuku.

"Wh-what? Wh-who is Kamoshida?" Izuku was now genuinely confused. Not only did he have no idea who the blond was referring to, but he had no idea what he would say about him..

The blond seemed equally perplexed by Izuku's response, stuffing his hands in his pockets as his expression softened.

"Wait, how do you  **not**  know who Kamoshida is? You go to Shujin, right?" The blond inquired, his questions more curious than accusatory this time.

"W-well, yeah, b-but I just started today." Izuku explained, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh, I see. Kinda weird time to be transferring in though, don't you think?" The blond hummed, crossing his arms in thought. "You a first-year? You look a bit younger than me."

"Y-yeah, I'm first-year Izuku Midoriya. It's nice to meet you." The green-haired teen gulped, offering a polite bow as he introduced himself.

"You're a pretty jumpy guy, huh?" The blond chuckled at Izuku's expense but offered a kinder smile than before. "The name's Ryuji Sakamoto. I'm a second-year, so I guess that makes me your senior."

"A-ah, I see. Please take care of me." Izuku nodded, bowing to his senior again. While Ryuji might have looked like a punk, he seemed nice enough after getting past his rough exterior.

Izuku's thoughts drifted back to Ryuji's previous words.. "B-but what were you saying about a… pervy teacher...?"

"Yeah, that's right. That asshole, Kamoshida." Ryuji immediately cursed, brow furrowing in annoyance as he glanced down the street. "He's the jerk who drove off earlier. You'll get to know that bastard soon enough, I'm sure. He's considered the 'star' of the school just because he got the volleyball team to the nationals. Asshole probably thinks he's some sort of king of the castle…"

Izuku missed another ping coming from his phone.

"You seem to have a history." Izuku noted, his words causing Ryuji to fidget somewhat.

"You… could say that…" Ryuji muttered in response as he pulled out his phone. His eyes widened in shock, clicking his tongue. "Ah, damn it! We've been yappin' too long, we're gonna be late to school!"

"Huh?" Izuku blinked before looking at the time on his phone, ignoring the ghost app that was still spread across his screen. "A-ah! You're right, we should get going!"

"If only my leg wasn't messed up, I'd get us there in no time…" Ryuji cursed to himself, not really speaking to Izuku when he said this. "Come on, this way! I know a shortcut through the back alley. The rain eased up, so it shouldn't be too bad."

"R-right! Thank you, Sakamoto-senpai!" Izuku nodded, the two stepping forward to go. The moment they both moved, they were both hit with a sudden wave of vertigo, migraines slamming into their heads out of nowhere. "Wh-what was that...?"

"Damn it, my friggin' head…" Ryuji cursed in annoyance, rubbing his forehead to try and ease the pain. "I knew I shouldn't have come to school today, damn it… come on…" He grumbled, deciding to power through the temporary pain. Izuku didn't bother to question their sudden migraines, despite the fact that they happened simultaneously.

Instead, he elected to follow after Ryuji, who took off running toward a nearby alleyway. The two sprinted through the narrow back alleys, more focused on making it on time than anything that might have changed around them. Neither of them noticed how the water would briefly levitate in the air after they ran through a puddle.

"Around here!" Ryuji announced to Izuku, making a quick turn that Izuku copied. The two soon came out of the alley, both coming to a full stop as they gazed at the structure that lay before them. Much to their shock, they both saw something that didn't come close to resembling their school.. "What the hell...?"

In place of the school was none other than a stone castle straight out of the history books. On the front gate, a sign read:

**Shujin Academy**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own neither My Hero Academia or Persona 5**

Chapter 3

To say that Izuku was confused would be an understatement. Now, he wasn't freaking out like he normally would, but only because there was nothing inherently threatening in front of him. Even so, this strange scenery that had replaced the school building he saw only the day before caused Izuku to rub his eyes, thinking that perhaps he was only seeing things.

When nothing changed, he couldn't help but look around. Maybe they ran down the wrong alleyway. The problem with that theory was that the rest of the surrounding architecture was identical to what he had seen yesterday. The sign that sat at the front of the stone wall was also a strange indicator that they were supposedly at the right place.

"D-did the drama club set this shit up or somethin'...?" Ryuji muttered next to him, Izuku throwing a sideways glance back at his upperclassman.

"Th-there's no way though, is there? I was here yesterday and it looked like a normal school building…" Izuku muttered, his eyes scanning the castle for clues. "You would need an amazingly fast construction Quirk for this to be possible… even then, considering how much the school would have to pay for this change in aesthetics and how it would most likely have to inform the parents first before even thinking of making such a drastic change… Not to mention this is meant to be a normal high school in the first place…"

"Tr-true, I guess…" Ryuji mumbled, feeling overwhelmed by Izuku's train of thought. "But still… the sign says it's our school. Should we just go in and see what's up?"

Izuku gulped as he looked at the foreboding structure before them.

"I suppose we don't have much choice…" Izuku admitted. If they were going to understand what was going on, they couldn't remain outside and keep guessing.

"R-right… guess we'll go in then…" Ryuji muttered before glancing at Izuku. "Y-you first…"

"M-me?!" Izuku blanched, looking at his senior in disbelief.

"O-okay, yeah, maybe that's a bit much to ask my junior…" Ryuji sighed, grabbing his bag straps and tightening his hold on them. "J-just stick close behind me, at least… This place is giving me the creeps right now…."

With that, the two proceeded through the school gates, which were now made of paved sandstone bricks instead of concrete. Izuku wished he could have written this off as the work of the drama club, but the castle looming over them was far too real to be cardboard. The entrance alone was far too realistic for a school project. There was even a wooden drawbridge and a raised steel gate!

Once the two walked through the main entrance, they were greeted by a grand hall far more opulent than anything Izuku had seen the day before.

_This makes no sense. Even if it was somehow plausible that they changed the exterior of the building, the interior couldn't have been renovated so quickly…_

"Okay, so that didn't clear anything up…" Ryuji huffed out, most likely coming to the same conclusion as Izuku."Seriously, there's no way this can be the school, right?"

"I-it's not possible… I think we should leave…" Izuku said cautiously, gazing around the hall. It was definitely far too large to be the same building he had visited yesterday. There's no way they could have rolled out rows and rows of red carpet, lit rows of candle stands, and added a grand staircase in the span of single day. Nothing about this place was logical. Not if it was truly in the same place that Shujin Academy once sat. Even if it weren't, Izuku most likely would have heard of such an extravagant building in the city.

Ryuji seemed to consider this idea, taking a moment to pull his phone out of his pocket and try and run a web search on it. "W-what the hell?! No service?! Damn it!" the faux blond cursed, gazing around the hall again. "But the sign said Shujin Academy…"

"Halt!" A new, distorted voice caused both Izuku and Ryuji to yelp in surprise, the two glancing to their left to the source. The green-haired teen could only widen his eyes as he saw the approaching mass. It was a large man in armor several sizes too large for him if the legs were any indication. Instead of wearing the helmet's visor down, he wore a blue expressionless masquerade mask.

The man also carried a large shield that Izuku could hide his entire body behind in one hand and a longsword in the other. The armored man, whoever he was, approached with obvious aggression. Izuku felt himself taking a step back in fear, a bit of sweat rolling down his brow.

"What the hell, man. You scared me there for a sec…" Ryuji breathed out, relaxing for a moment. "That's a helluva costume, though. You make that? Or-wait, is that part of your Quirk, maybe?"

The armored man stopped several meters away from the two of them, his eyes hidden behind the mask and only allowing a faint red light to shine through the sockets. Ryuji shifted uncomfortably, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Well, come on, man! Don't just stand there and say nothin-" The faux blond felt a hand tug at the sleeve of his blazer, glancing back to see Izuku biting his bottom lip.

"S-Sakamoto-senpai… I think we should leave…" Izuku muttered out, pulling a bit harder with his whole body to try and drag Ryuji away.

"Wh-whoa, slow down man, I-" Ryuji started before glancing back at the armored man from before. Much to his shock, someone in an identical suit of armor appeared. In fact, the newcomer was practically identical to the first armored man. "Wh-what the hell...?"

"Sakamoto-senpai! We should go!" Izuku ushered him again. While slightly thrown off by the other knight's appearance, Ryuji nodded and went along with his junior's idea.

"G-got it! Let's go!" The faux blond agreed, spinning on his heel to run for it. Izuku wasn't far behind, the two soon breaking into a sprint for the exit. But they skidded to a stop as several more armored men appeared, all much larger than either of the teens. "Wh-what the hell?! How many of them are there?!"

"W-we'll have to find another way-" Izuku tried to tell him, only for a shield to ram right into his back.

"H-hey! Midoriya!" Ryuji gasped in shock, turning to see a knight was standing right behind the smaller teen. "Sh-shit, I-I've got at least some stored up in my left knee…" bending his left knee, electricity started to crackle around him. In a sudden burst of energy, Ryuji was launched forward straight into the knight, ramming it with his shoulder.

The knight was sent tumbling backward from the momentum of Ryuji's charge. But the teenager's shoulder began to ache from driving his shoulder right into a full suit of armor. Sadly, it wasn't his shoulder that hurt the most though, his right knee buckling just as he was about to get to his feet.

"D-damn it… we've gotta move…" He glanced back at Izuku, only to see the green-haired teen was completely unconscious. Ryuji desperately reached forth to grab under his arms and carry him. "I-I've got just enough for one more burst… one more burst and-"

Another knight came out of nowhere, knocking Ryuji face first onto the ground. "Ack! D-damn it!" the faux blond cursed, gnashing his teeth as he glared back at the knight who stopped him. "Y-you're gonna break something…"

"Seize them!" Another one of the knights ordered. The last thing Ryuji saw was the knights crowding around them as one of them brought a shield down on his head.

* * *

Izuku had to peel his eyelids open as he finally woke up, still dazed from being beaten unconscious. It took him a moment to collect his thoughts, only remembering that he and Ryuji had started to run away from the strangely armored men.

"Hey, you're up." Izuku quickly sat up, immediately regretting it as a sudden case of vertigo kicked made his head spin. "Careful, man. You took a pretty hard hit on the head."

"D-did I...?" Izuku muttered, holding the side of his head for a moment longer before opening his eyes again. Ryuji was sitting a barrel nearby. The moment Izuku had regained his bearings, he took in the room around him: an old-fashioned dungeon cell. The wall and ceiling were all paved with stone bricks with a bloody red sheen. Chains used for prisoners hung from the walls and lied strewn across the floor. A couple of barrels like the one his senior sat on lay close by. Izuku's new surroundings reminded him of the room from his previous dream, though it didn't feel the same as his cell from that "Velvet Room".

"You okay, man?" asked Ryuji.

"Y-yeah, not too bad now… How about you?" Izuku muttered, rubbing a bump that had formed on the back of his head. He probably had a concussion.

"Not too bad, I think. My shoulder's pretty sore though…" Ryuji admitted with a sigh, rubbing his muscles to relieve some of the pain. Getting up and looking around the cell, the faux blond couldn't stop a curse from escaping his mouth. "Looks like this ain't a dream, after all…" losing patience rather quickly, Ryuji rushed up to the bars and started to bang on them. "Hey! I know someone's out there! Get over here and let us out, damn it!"

"S-Sakamoto-senpai, you should be careful!" Izuku pushed himself off the bench he was lying on and stood up. "We don't know where we are or who has us! We have to be careful not to anger them!"

"Tch, son of a bitch!" Ryuji snapped, hitting the bars one last time and causing Midoriya to flinch again. "Where the hell are we?! You really think someone's just up and kidnapped us?! And if so, why in a friggin' castle?!"

"I-I don't know! I don't know anymore than-" Before Izuku could finish, a far-off scream caused the two to pause. They both ran up to the cell bars, gripping it as they tried to listen in. Faint moans of agony could be heard, quieter than the previous scream.

"S-someone else is here… and they're being tortured…" Izuku muttered, his face going pale at the thought.

"N-n-no way… no way man, no way…" Ryuji began to panic, gripping the bars hard enough to turn his knuckles white. He spun around and began desperately searching for anything he could use. "Th-there's gotta be some way outta this damn cell!"

"M-maybe we could tr-try to find a weakness in the wall" Izuku suggested, turning his attention back to the cell as well. As much as he wanted to help whoever might be suffering, he had to focus on getting out as well. Ryuji was soon running his hands along one of the walls. Izuku jumped to the opposite end, hoping to find one there as well.

"I-I hope this might not be too much to ask, but… what's your Quirk?" Izuku asked, hoping the faux blond might be able to give them an escape route.

"My Quirk?" Ryuji repeated before realizing the reason behind it. "O-oh. Well, you see, I can store up energy in my knee caps… it converts it into electricity or somethin' that pretty much makes me run wicked fast. I can run twice as fast with moderate energy use, or move super fast in short bursts…"

"I-I see… that's a rather strong Quirk, actually…" Izuku murmured in surprise as he continued to search for loose bricks or faults in the foundation. Ryuji might be able to break them out after all, but he doubted that it would work on the steel bars. It would probably be better used against a weakened part of the wall.

"… I have to run to store up energy though, and after… after some recent shit, I can only store energy in one knee." Ryuji's voice seemed to weaken as he continued. Izuku stopped his search for a moment to glance back at him, his senior now looking even more crestfallen than before. "I uh… I can barely use it anymore… when I do, I bust up my right leg from the exertion. It's almost useless to me, now…."

Izuku now realized that Ryuji probably wasn't going to bust them out with his Quirk after all. The look on his cellmate's face was disheartening. With a weak, forced chuckle, the green-haired teen rubbed the back of his head. "H-hey… it's better than being Quirkless, you know?"

Ryuji turned to Izuku in confusion. "Quirkless? What do you mean by…" His eyes widened as the realization dawned of him. . "Wait… you mean you don't…" Izuku gave a weak nod, forcing a sad smile to show Ryuji that he understood his pain.

Before the two could continue, they heard a parade of clanking metal approaching them. The two teenagers quickly perked up and turned to the cell doors to see the knights that had attacked them before gathering around the cell.

"H-hey! Hurry up and let us out!" Ryuji snapped again, rushing up to the bars and pounding on them.

"Quiet, prisoner, and rejoice that your punishment has been decided so quickly." The knight at the front spoke, taking a step closer toward the cage. "You have both been judged with unlawful entry of the palace. A crime punishable by death."

"Wh-what?! What the hell are you talkin' about?" Ryuji spat in frustration, the mention of a death penalty throwing him into an, understandably, panicked moment.

"Th-this makes no sense at all! We don't even know where we are!" Midoriya spoke up this time.

"No one's allowed to do as they please in  **my** castle." Izuku and Ryuji paused as they watched the knight's step aside to make way for a strangely dressed man was approaching the cage. Izuku instantly recognized him as the man in the car from this morning, though his attire had changed drastically. Instead of the tracksuit from before, he wore a velvety red cape littered with pink hearts that was lined with white fur around the edges. A small, spiked crown made of gold sat atop his head. Aside from this, he was virtually naked, only wearing brown loafers and pink underwear to maintain some semblance of modesty.

"W-wait a sec! Kamoshida?!" blurted Ryuji. .

"Th-the teacher you mentioned before...?" Izuku muttered as he struggled to wrap his head around this. Even the worst Hero Costumes didn't look this bad.

"To think, rather than some petty thief, it would be Sakamoto who decided to break into my beloved castle," Kamoshida scoffed, smirking smugly at the faux blond. "What, did you come here seeking revenge?"

"The hell is going on, Kamoshida?! The hell are you wearing?! And where the hell are we?!" Ryuji snapped indignantly, his confusion only growing with the arrival of the sports instructor.

"I told you before, you slow-witted child. You are in  **my** castle. But I'm sure you already knew that," Kamoshida huffed before glancing at Izuku. "I have to say, I would have figured you to bring someone about as brutish as you are if you were looking for revenge. Maybe you were planning on using him as bait instead?"

"I have no idea what hell you're talking about, asshole!" Ryuji growled again, shaking the bars as he spoke.

"Is that how you speak to a king?" Kamoshida snapped back to Ryuji, a heated glare now sent his way. "Perhaps you need to be informed exactly what position you're in, just like last time. Not only are you both guilty of trespassing in my castle, but you are now guilty of insulting the king!" An evil smile spread across his lips, one that sent shivers down Izuku's spine. "Both are crimes punishable by  **death**."

Ryuji and Izuku both paled, backing away from the cell doors. "Y-you're shitting me…" Ryuji muttered, thinking that the teacher was only trying to scare him.

"It's time for an execution! Grab the blond one!" Kamoshida ordered. The knights stood at attention at his command. The one closest to the cell pulled out a pair of keys from god-knows-where, opening the cell and walking in with a line of knights behind him. Izuku was knocked against the wall as they entered, their focus going mainly to Ryuji as they started to surround him.

"Sakamoto-senpai!" Izuku cried out in fear, eyes darting around for options that might be available to him. He had to figure a way out of here, a way to get both of them to safety.

_I-I have to think up something quick! This guy is serious about killing us! If I don't act quick, then Sakamoto-senpai will be-_

"To hell with this shit!" Electricity crackled around Ryuji's left knee, and in a burst of speed, he knocked down two of the knights blocking the entrance. "Ack!" he cried out in pain, his knee acting up again as he stopped before he could try anything else. "D-damn it, I already messed it up some earlier…" He cursed, glancing to the side to see a knight lurking over him.

"G-go, damn it! Go and-gah!" the closest remaining knight to Ryuji struck him in the side with the butt of its sword, the wind instantly leaving Ryuji.

"Hah! Looks like your little burst of energy was for nothing, Sakamoto," Kamoshida taunted, grinning darkly down at the blond. "Your friend here seems like a real coward. I'm surprised that he didn't try and-"

The knight that had struck Ryuji suddenly fell forward. In the moment that Ryuji had been struck, none had noticed that Izuku had already moved. He hadn't given it any thought at all; and if anyone were to ask him right now, Izuku would have told them that his body had moved on its own.

The green-haired teen had hoisted one of the barrels over his head and smashed it into the back of the knight that had struck Ryuji. Tears threatened at the edge of Izuku's eyes, but he gritted his teeth, spinning around and using his momentum to catch the final knight in the cell off guard and pinning it against the far wall, tripping it over the benches

"H-hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Ryuji cried out in shock, eyes wide as he watched the skittish kid's attempts to save him.

"G-go, Sakamoto-senpai! Use what speed you have left," Izuku cried out, eyes tightly clenched in fear. "Hurry, before it's too late!"

"M-Midoriya…" Ryuji muttered in complete awe. He never would have expected that the fidgety junior would have come back for him.

"Y-you idiot! I'm s'posed to be the one saving you!" In reality, he was actually quite touched by Izuku's sudden burst of bravery.

Ryuji pushed himself off the ground and got to his feet, hoping he could make an opening for Izuku to escape with him. That was until he felt something slimy wrap around his neck and choke him. With surprising force, Ryuji was hurled to the farthest wall, knocking the wind out of him once again.

"S-Sakamoto-senpai!" Izuku cried out in fear, but was quickly silenced as the knight he had pinned slammed the grip of it's sword into his back, painfully knocking him flat on the ground.

It was Kamoshida who had caught him off guard, the perverted teacher cackling as he withdrew his elongated tongue. "Well, that sure was a surprise. Who woulda thought that the random brat would have some guts. You shouldn't have bothered making friends with Sakamoto, though. He's only thinks about his own selfish desires rather than the needs of those around him."

Izuku could barely muster up the strength to get off the ground, but the pain he felt did nothing to stop him.

"Y-you're wrong…." he managed to say, his eyes ablaze with determination as they drifted back towards Kamoshida. "H-he went out of his way… to try and save me, even though we just met… even though he knew he might die…."

"M-Midoriya…" Ryuji couldn't believe what he was hearing from his junior.

But Ryuji's awe was cut short as Kamoshida fumed at Izuku's continued defiance. What was this brat thinking? Why didn't he know his place?

"Trash like you is what inspires drabble to stand up against my authority in the first place. I've changed my mind. Guards! Grab the green-haired one first! If he's so ready to give up his life for Sakamoto, then let him be first."

"Y-you bastard!" Ryuji cried out in anger, only for one of the knights that had regained its balance to pin him against the wall with its shield. Izuku felt a metal boot kick him in the side, spit leaving his mouth as he tumbled across the ground. The knight he had previously pinned then grabbed him by the collar and threw him against the wall littered with chains.

"You can just add it to the list of things you screwed someone else out of, Sakamoto!" Kamoshida cackled darkly, a devilish grin spreading across his face as he turned back to Izuku. The green-haired teen's breathing was shallow and laborious. Sweat poured down his face as two knights pinned him against the wall. He could only watch helplessly as a third advanced with it sword aimed at his heart.

_I-I can't escape! Th-there's nowhere for me to go or run to!_ Izuku thought in panic, tears starting to trail down his cheeks as fear overtook him.

_I-I'm gonna die here… why? Why has the world been so cruel?!_

" _Truly, this is an unjust game... Your chances of victory are almost none._ "

Izuku's sobs stopped as he heard a young, feminine voice whisper to him. He glanced up as a faint blue light hovered overhead. It was a butterfly, its silvery-blue wings glittering as it fluttered by.

" _But if my voice is reaching you, then perhaps your fate may be changed._ "

_Wh-what is that? What was-_

_**Come on, kid. You gon' give up that easily?**_ A new voice began to echo in his head. Unlike the previous one, this one was distinctly deep and masculine, almost reminding Izuku of All Might. Yet, some part of it managed to remind him of his own.

_Wh-what?_

_**You proved yer resolve when you jumped to save the blond. Even now, I can feel that you never regretted yer choice in savin' that woman, either. Actin' and doin' right without thinkin'... that's what it means to be a Hero, right?** _

_**And yet, society's tellin' you that you're a criminal. A piece of scum for havin' the guts to do right by yer fellow man… what do you think?** _

_**Do you really want to be a Hero? Or was that all just some act?** _

_**Would you take back what you did?** _

_**Would you?!** _

**(My Hero Academia OST: You Say Run)**

The voice boomed in Izuku's head, causing him to grit his teeth and tears of frustration rather than fear began rolling down his face.

_Would I take back what I did?_

Images of that woman struggling against the man filtered through his head, and in an instant, Izuku knew his answer, eyes snapping open with a heavy glare.

_No! S-she called for help! There was no way I would ever ignore that! Not then, and not_ _**now!** _

The voice in his mind grew louder than a howitzer cannon as it burst into hearty laughter. Izuku soon felt as though someone were trying to split his head in half with a rusted axe. He released a cry of agony as he doubled over and thrashed against his restraints, sweat cascading down his forehead in buckets. The pain only intensified with time. It wasn't long until it felt like his head was going to explode from the pressure building within it.

_**Well said, my boy! We are in agreement! Now then, let's seal our contract with a vow! I am thou… thou art I… I shall grant you the power to enact justice on this world!** _

"Hah! Has the peasant gone mad from fear?" Kamoshida taunted with a smirk merely shaking his head at Izuku's strange display. "Don't worry, peasant. It will all be over soon. Execute him!" The knight at the front complied, raising its blade to strike. Izuku's body then went lax, his eyes falling shut as the pain subsided as quickly as it came.

_**Never regret! Never surrender! Never doubt! If society chains you down for being a Hero… then rip those chains off and save them, whether they want you to or not!** _

"I understand… thank you…" Izuku murmured.

Before the knight's blade could reach the prisoner's neck, a gale of wind erupted around Izuku as his eyes snapped open, causing both the guards and Kamoshida to flinch and take a step back. The two that were holding Izuku against the wall recoiled in confusion, releasing their iron grips on him.

When the wind subsided, Kamoshida gazed back up at the green-haired teen, who now wore a strange mask on his face. It was bone white except for the black lines that extended from the eye holes and covered the top half of Izuku's face. Two horn-like pieces protruded from opposite corners of the mask's upper rim and curved towards each other slightly. .

Reaching up to his face, the Izuku touched the mask curiously.

_What is this...?_

_**Pull it off.** _

Izuku didn't hesitate or bother question the strange order, immediately gripping the edges of the mask and tugging at them as hard as he could. He began to scream once more as the mask seemed to pull at the skin of his face, ripping it away in pieces as he tugged. But Izuku could not and would not stop until he finally tore the mask from his brow with a final howl of pain.

With bated breath, Izuku let the blood drip down his face, glaring furiously as he looked up at Kamoshida. Without another motion or word, Izuku flashed the darkest grin he'd ever given in his life. Suddenly the blood that covered the top of his head evaporated into blue flame, the fire expanding into a surging torrent that enveloped his body as dark chains began to rise into the air all around him.

"Wh-What?!" Kamoshida cried out in shock.

Ryuji could only stare wide eyed from the wall, jaw slackening as he watched the scene unfold before him. His junior's eyes, once a forest green, had turned the color of molten gold as they peered out through the flames. The fire was then was then converted into blinding light, forcing everyone present to shield their eyes.

A silhouette began to rise up from Izuku's body, standing above him like some sort of guardian angel. Its features slowly came into view as the light faded away, revealing a human-like figure with a solid white body that looked as though it was sculpted from porcelain. It wore a leathery kilt dyed red with matching thigh-high combat boots. Draped on its back was a flowing red cape that seemed to billow in the wind produced by its arrival. Its body was muscular, though more defined and toned rather than hulking and bulbous, with six-pack abs carved deeply into its torso.

Its hairstyle was unkempt, much like Izuku's, but instead of a green rat's nest its hair was composed of nothing but crimson flames. Its eyes lacked pupils and irises and its expression was blank, save for a solid smirk at the edge of its mouth. A scimitar was fastened against its hip. Around its neck hung two medals, one in the shape of a diamond crest, and the other in the shape of All Might's head.

"What… the… hell..?" Ryuji muttered out in pure confusion. He looked down at Izuku, only to see that his junior had also transformed. The black blazer and plaid trousers indicative of Shujin had vanished. In their place was a full-body black jumpsuit, red detailing running down the sides of the torso and legs and forming boxes on either side of its midsection. Black elbow and knee pads protected his joints while matching red gloves covered his hands.

Over the jumpsuit, Izuku wore a dark leather trench coat that reached down to his thighs. On his neck hung a steel mouthguard of sorts with a wide, toothy smile etched into the metal..

Gone was the skittish, jumpy teen that Ryuji saw only moments before. Now there stood Izuku brimming with confidence and a smile that would give the Number One Hero a run for his money.

The being above Izuku flexed its muscles and threw heavy forearm strikes at the two knights surrounding Izuku, easily knocking them on the ground before launching a punch at the guard who would be his executioner, sending it careening into the wall of the cell.

" _ **From the sea of your soul, I come forth!"**_ The figure above Izuku boomed, the green-haired teen glancing up at the figure in a bit of wonder and amazement of his own.  _ **"I am the rebel Hero of your soul, your power to save others in this foreign land! I am Carter!"**_

With a flourish of his cape, the white light finally faded completely, allowing those around to get a clearer view of the being above Izuku.  _ **"If you ask, I will give you the power to break forth and save yourself from this mess!"**_

"Please give me the power I need! Carter!" Izuku accepted with great determination, eyes shining with a resolve he'd never felt before. With another round of booming laughter, Carter nodded in acceptance.

" _ **Then consider it done, kid! Let's show 'em that you can be a Hero!"**_

"I-I ain't ever seen a Quirk like that…" Ryuji sputter out in shock and awe.

"Wh-what the hell is all this?!" Kamoshida snapped in confusion and fear, taking a step back glaring at Izuku furiously. "Who the hell are you?!" He gazed around at his knights to see that they were still capable of moving. The "king" clicked his tongue in frustration.

"G-get up! Get up right now and kill him!"

The masks on two of the knight's helmets burst off, a black ooze pouring out of the opening and dripping to the ground before taking the form of spectres that floated above the ground. Their heads contorted themselves until they looked much like jack-o-lanterns with witch hats sitting on top, a single hand sticking out and holding a glass lantern.

" _ **Call out my powers, boy! Release that energy you got stored up!"**_ Carter instructed Izuku, the green-haired teen turning to the newly formed enemies with a fierce glare. Izuku didn't exactly understand at first, but the word rolled off the tongue when he spoke before he put any thought into it.

"Kouha!" A ball of light formed in Carter's hand, the powerful being pitching it forth like a baseball and hitting one of the pumpkin-headed enemies dead-on. The jack-o-lantern seemed to take massive damage, crying out in pain and sailing into the cell door. The other one seemed undeterred, flying forward and hoping to strike Izuku with it's own head.

" _ **Now, kid. Swing your staff and show it what for!"**_ Carter advised once more. This one gave Izuku pause, unsure what the being above him referred to.

"My staff...?" Izuku muttered before looking down at his hand. True to Carter's word, the Quirkless hero was grasping a wooden staff in one hand. He wasn't sure where it came from or why he was holding it, but he had little time to dwell on it. He quickly hoisted it up, blocking the attack from the monster. Although he skidded back a meter, Izuku held strong.

Moving on instinct, Izuku spun the staff in hand and retaliated with two swift strikes on either side of the monster's head before spinning around to nail it with a rolling smash, knocking the monster onto the ground. Izuku had taken some combat classes when he was training for the U.A. Entrance Exam, but he had only learned the basics. His body seemed to know what it wanted to do and fought as if it had done so for years.

" _ **Congrats, kid! This power is now yours to use! Finish 'em off as you want!"**_ Carter boomed again, pointing at the two staggered monsters. If they had been human, Izuku would have hesitated to destroy them. But seeing that these monsters were unnatural and actively trying to kill him, he felt no such restraint.

"Carter! Unleash your light!" White light filled both of Carter's palms, the figure hurling its energy forth with a double swing and destroying the pumpkin headed monsters in a brilliant explosion, their bodies dissipating into thin air. With a deep sigh of relief, Izuku felt some of the tension leave his shoulders before he turned to Kamoshida with a heated gaze, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Holy shit, man…" Ryuji finally found his voice, clamberlingto his feet as he stared at Izuku with wide eyes. "What the hell was all that?"

Izuku blinked for a moment as the adrenaline rush faded, his usual demeanor returning to him. "I-I actually don-"

"You little brat…" Kamoshida growled, approaching Izuku carefully. The green-haired teen narrowed his eyes and spun the staff in his hands, preparing to strike out at the supposed king. Before he could do that though, Ryuji acted first, tackling the half-naked teacher with his shoulder.

"You like that, asshole?!" Ryuji laughed with a bit of satisfaction. Izuku saw keys drop from the teacher after being hit, using his staff to bounce them up in the air and grab them.

"Sakamoto-senpai! Let's get out of here!" Izuku ushered, the blond quickly nodding in agreement. The two dashed out of the cell, slamming the door shut behind them. Izuku tossed Ryuji the keys, who immediately locked the door.

"You damn brats! You'll pay for this!" Kamoshida growled as he beat his fists against the bars. Izuku and Ryuji only regarded him for a moment longer before breathing another sigh of relief, the two leaning forward on their knees. They were finally out of immediate danger, thanks to Izuku.

"Man, all of this shit is so damn nuts…" Ryuji muttered, glancing at his junior. In a flash of blue flame, Izuku's costume dissipated and returned to his school clothes. "Wh-what the hell?! What was all that?!"

"I-I don't really know…" Izuku replied, standing up straight and looking at his hands. "B-but I wanted to fight back… and all of that suddenly happened…"

Ryuji bit his bottom lip, wanting to ask more questions that he likely wouldn't get an answer to.

"You bastards! You'll never escape!" Kamoshida barked again, causing them to jump in surprise.

"God, this asshole still won't shut up?!" Ryuji snapped in annoyance before looking at Izuku. "Let's just get the hell out of here. You lead the way."

"G-got it. Stay close, so we don't get separated." Izuku nodded in agreement, running down the cell block. Ryuji only took a moment to toss the keys away. With a moment to breathe, Izuku scanned the dungeon: it really was something out of a movie set. Several other cells lined the path. A small river of water ran through the center of the room, leading to a platform area similar to what they were already standing on.

Ahead of them, their path was blocked by a great wall of iron bars, the door on their side of the moat tightly shut. Izuku easily spotted the open door on the opposite side, waving for Ryuji to follow. "Sakamoto-senpai! This way! We can jump across!"

"Got it!" Ryuji nodded, quickly following after Izuku. The moment Izuku started to run though, he realized that he was almost completely drained of energy. He grit his teeth in pain, pushing through the exhaustion.

_We need to get out of here, first… can't let the exhaustion bother me…_ Izuku told himself. Once they approached the steel blockade, Izuku made a quick turn to a broken bridge. It still had a bit of the bridge left, enough for anyone to jump across. Izuku took a running jump over, landing safely on the other side but stumbling forward. His body clearly didn't appreciate the sudden exertion.

"H-hey! Careful, man!" Ryuji called out as he landed on the other side and helped to catch Izuku before he could fall flat on his face.

The green-haired teen panted for air, the adrenaline from the previous fight had faded completely. "S-sorry, Sakamoto-senpai… I'm pretty tired after all that…" He forced himself to stand upright and took deep breaths. "But don't worry, I can keep going. I'll make sure we get out of here safe."

Ryuji didn't answer immediately, but his eyes hid little of his admiration. "Dude, you're friggin' amazing. You saved us back there and everything and you're still going even though you're dead tired. I know, I can tell since I ran track" He pointed out before giving a kind smile. "You look like a real Hero!"

Izuku stopped, opening his mouth as if to say something before feeling a river of tears explode from his eyes, which immediately made Ryuji recoil. "Y-y-you really think so..?" before he could get ahead of himself, Izuku quickly shook his head, returning his focus to the situation at hand. "S-sorry, got carried away with my emotions… we should get going before more guards arrive."

Ryuji scratched the back of his head, releasing a strained chuckle. "I… really can't make heads or tails of your personality…" He reached forward and snatched Izuku's bag off his shoulder. "I'll carry this for you since you're pretty worn out as is. We're gonna need ya if we're gonna break out."

"R-right, thank you for that." Izuku nodded, immediately feeling the relief as he turned back to their path and leading them forward. "This way!"

They jogged down the path, Izuku being careful to keep his stamina in check and Ryuji sticking close enough in case he needed to keep his junior from falling. They entered another corridor of the dungeon similar to the one they were previously in, but the gated exits were both closed as far as they could tell.

"Damn it! What now?!" Ryuji growled, eyes darting around for an exit somewhere. Izuku did the same, his eyes soon falling on an open cell right next to the gated wall. On the floor, there was a noticeable hole on the edge, one that a person could slip through.

"Through here!" Izuku ran inside the cell and dropped on all fours. As he expected, there was a tunnel inside the hole, one that went past the exit. "We can crawl through this hole."

"Got it! Careful as you go." Ryuji advised, waiting for Izuku to go through before soon following after him. The tunnel wasn't a long one, the two coming out moments later in another cell that thankfully the door was open to. "Alright, let's go!"

"Yeah!" Izuku nodded, rushing out and gazing around the dungeon again. This room was a bit different, as over the stream there was actually a full-length drawbridge.

"What the hell? What is this place, man?" Ryuji huffed, but didn't bother standing around questioning it further. The two quickly jogged across the bridge, having seen an exit at the front left corner of the room. As they steadily approached the exit, they both heard movement from their right across the way. "Get down!" Ryuji whisper shouted, the two diving behind a stack of barrels that was just out of sight. Peering their heads out ever so slightly, they could see several knights on the other side marching along the path, thankfully not crossing the bridge and entering the next area. "They're lookin' for us, huh?"

"W-we can't waste time here, Sakamoto-senpai… we should get going," Izuku whispered back, touching his shoulder and motioning his head to the exit path. With a nod, Ryuji and Izuku stood up and took off down the path that soon led to a winding staircase.

"I-it's going up… think this'll lead us outta here?" Ryuji asked aloud as they started to jog up the stairs. As if his previous exhaustion wasn't enough, Izuku could feel his lungs tightening the higher they climbed. He didn't answer Ryuji's question either, both because he was winded and also because he didn't want to get his hopes up. Considering the size of the castle they've seen already, he doubted this would be a quick escape.

Once they reached the top the two escapees came across a wooden door, Ryuji immediately pushing it open in hope that his previous suggestion was right. Much to Izuku's chagrin, it was his own hypothesis that proved to be true. There was still a bit of dungeon left before the two could reach the outside.

"Oh, you've gotta be shittin' me! There's more?!" Ryuji cursed in annoyance, looking around to find that they were in a fairly similar area from before. "Just what the hell is up with this place?!"

"I-It's no use trying to figure out what's going on, Sakamoto-senpai. Even if we tried looking around, I doubt we'd get any real answers." Izuku admitted, taking several steps forward along the stone path. "Come on, let's keep moving before they catch up."

"G-got it. You're probably right." Ryuji accepted, following after the shorter teen. They continued along the path until they came upon another part of the dungeon, but this time something noticeable hung from the middle of the room. "Holy shit…"

"Th-those are…" Izuku muttered, eyes widening in horror. Several students were being held in cages hanging from the ceiling over the river, their heads covered in iron masks. The green-haired teen bit his lip, glancing at Ryuji for a moment before stepping forward.

"H-hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Ryuji quickly grabbed Izuku, pulling him back from the edge of the river.

"S-somebody has to help them! We have to let them out, somehow!" Izuku argued, glancing up at Ryuji in desperation. "I-I have enough energy! Maybe if I reach out with Carter, I can-"

"Dude, you're drained as is! Plus it'll be dangerous tryin' to pull all those people in!" Ryuji snapped, shaking his head. "You've gotta let 'em stay. If they were on the way, maybe, but they'll take too long to get out and we don't know what kinda condition they're in."

Izuku bit his lip, knowing everything that Ryuji was saying was right. Had he thought about it for a moment, he would have easily come to the same conclusion. But as usual, he almost acted without thinking to try and save them. "Y-yeah… but we have to do something for them…"

"Once we get outta here, we'll get a hold of the cops or some Heroes, maybe. They can break into a shitty place like this easily and save everyone." Ryuji reassured. It was the logical decision. Their own safety was the priority, after all. But here, after seeing these bizarre monsters and a strange castle where Shujin Academy should be, what  _was_ logical anymore?

Izuku shook his head to clear his mind as he reluctantly agreed,. "Okay… there's a drawbridge ahead. Let's go and see if we can get it to lower."

"You got it," Ryuji replied as the two were finally able to move on. Izuku spared a glance back at the suspended prisoners, but hardened his resolve. Right now, those prisoners weren't in immediate danger. He had to get someone who could save them, instead.

"The hell?! There's no switch on this damn thing!" Ryuji cursed, Izuku turning his attention back to his senior. "How the hell are we gonna get across?!"

"Wait a sec, senpai…" Izuku called out, jogging up to the bridge now. Something that stuck out was a stone bust in the shape of Kamoshida, its eyes shining yellow with an ugly grin. The chain leading to the drawbridge was sticking out from the top of it. "Guessing from the kind of personality that man has, I would say the switch would be somewhere on here…"

Izuku ran his hands across the stone for some kind of slot or switch. When he touched the jaw, he noticed that it gave a little after some pressure, which led him to pull down. As expected, the drawbridge lowered for the two teens, the blond punk widening his eyes in shock. "Just as I thought. This Kamoshida is incredibly self absorbed…"

"Holy crap, that was amazin'! You're pretty damn smart, man!" Ryuji complimented with a grin, Izuku immediately blushing up and rubbing the back of his head.

"N-no, it was nothing, really…"

"Man… but seriously, for it to be something like that, Kamoshida is as full of himself as ever… bastard…" Ryuji snapped in annoyance before turning back to the bridge. "Come on, let's go."

"Hey, wait you two!" A young voice cried out. Izuku and Ryuji paused before they could cross the bridge, glancing around in question after hearing the new voice. "Behind you!" They quickly turned around, now looking at one of the cells. Within it, a creature about two feet tall clung to the bars. The majority of its body was black, with short, stubby limbs and a head as large as its entire torso. It had a white fur on the bottom half of it's round face with strangely large oval eyes and wore a yellow scarf around its neck. On top of its head were unmistakable cat ears.

"Do you think you can let me out?"

**To be continued…**

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there, AO3 readers! I'm aware that some of you aren't really ones to check out FFN or Spacebattles, so thought I'd share it over here too. If you like the concept and story enough, feel free to let me know and I'll think about posting the rest over here. If you'd rather just read it over on FFN, you can find the title easily though my penname there is Mugiwara N0 Luffy. Either way, I hope you enjoy and that you'll feel free to let me know what you think!


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